


Stolen Heart

by honestgrins



Series: To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [211]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: All-Human, Con Artists, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:20:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25079023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: recyclingss asked: ANOTHER PROMPT! Caroline saves Klaus from a terrible date he is on
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Series: To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [211]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/378628
Comments: 9
Kudos: 47





	Stolen Heart

This date was _so_ not going well, Aurora decided as she was washing her hands, careful not to let her antique watch fall under the spray. She pouted in the mirror to check her lipstick, mourning the spirit she had when first applying it, so sure the shade would look lovely smudged across Nik’s lips. But he hardly paid her any attention all night, and the one topic he did seem interested in was her family company. It was like boarding school all over again, when boys liked the de Martel name rather than the girl bearing it.

Sighing, she straightened her dress and moved to leave the bathroom - only to run into the blonde walking in. “Pardon,” Aurora sneered when the woman wouldn’t get out of her way. 

“Sorry!” The blonde’s voice was too high pitched to be anything but tipsy, and she resented that people were having a better time than she was. Unaware of her silent seething, the stranger leaned on her shoulder to duck around her. “I had a bit too much champagne, I just got engaged!" 

A hand appeared in front of her face, and Aurora nearly threw it back in her rage. "Best wishes,” she snapped. The ring wasn’t even that pretty, but her stomach rolled with the too rich appetizer she ate and jealousy that no one wanted to give her a tiny diamond to symbolize their love. “Enjoy your night.”

The woman gave a strange, airy smile. “You should, too. Everyone deserves a perfect night tonight,” she declared, reaching for Aurora’s hands. Her tone was imploring as her eyes widened. “Don’t settle for anything less." 

Finally tugging herself loose to escape, Aurora slipped out into the small hallway. She nearly turned to rejoin the main dining room, but the door at the other end promised a quick, quiet exit. The bride-to-be was annoying, sure, but she also had a point; she didn’t have to settle for anything less than perfect - and Nik wasn’t it.

Without bothering to look back, she strode out of the restaurant, purse and dignity in hand.

* * *

Two minutes turned to five, and Klaus was counting down another two before he went looking for her. He knew he’d been too detached with Aurora; his intel outlined a difficult relationship with her father and her brother, and he thought she would want to work hard to gain his approval in lieu of theirs. Unfortunately for him, his mistake was made all too clear when another woman dropped into his date’s seat at the table.

Fortunately for him, however, he did so enjoy when Caroline made an appearance. "Hello, love. Fancy meeting you here.”

“Your date ditched you through the side door,” she explained, reaching for his glass of wine. Sipping prettily, her eyes sparkled in the candlelight. “You used to be good at this, Klaus.”

He smirked at the flirtatious tone, which meant she was in the mood to play. “Let me guess, you went for the earrings.”

Shrugging, Caroline gave him back his drink, her left arm stretched to show off the hundred thousand-dollar watch Aurora had been wearing and the ring she’d stolen from his dresser on her third finger. “I wasn’t in the mood for a challenge tonight, and it seems you weren’t either. Couldn’t keep the charm up?”

“She doesn’t know a thing about Tristan’s company, let alone the security protocols I was here for,” Klaus explained. He would be irritated at the wasted scheme to worm his way into the de Martel safes, but it was difficult to be anything but pleased with Caroline’s foot teasing up his ankle. Nodding toward the ring, he couldn’t help but to lick his lips. “You could have let me ask you.”

Her lips curled up, the red wine staining them a shade darker. “I thought I’d save us both some time and the inevitable argument over how marriage affects our…business models.” She looked fondly down at the ring he designed for her, specifically using the diamond she stole from his father’s tie pin, right under his nose during the annual Mikaelson gala - the night Klaus knew she was the one. “Plus, you should have picked a better hiding spot if you didn’t want me to find it.”

Grinning, brought her hand to his lips, his thumb running over the ring. “I suppose that’s what I get for falling in love with a thief.”

“Hey!” She laughed, tangling their fingers together. “How do I know you’re not just playing the long con to get me to work for you exclusively?”

It may have been a point of contention when they first started circling each other. She had insisted on new contracts for every job, which only served to remind him that she was a free agent - able to walk away from him whenever she chose. But now she was wearing his ring. “I was thinking about in terms of a family business, if you were so inclined.”

She bit her lip and squeezed his hand. “I think I like the sound of that,” she said before throwing up a stern finger. “You should probably let me handle the fake dates going forward, though, because you’re _so_ bad at them.”


End file.
